Preserving VMware configuration attribute information

Technote (FAQ)

Question

What VMware configuration attribute information does Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments Version 6.4 preserve in the .vmx file?

Cause

Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments / Data Protection for VMware does not directly access, modify, or back up the .vmx file. Instead, Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments uses the sanctioned VMware method to preserve the information contained within the .vmx file during backups. The main objective of Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments Version 6.4 is to recover the virtual machine to a usable (or startable) state. This table identifies the VMware configuration attributes that are preserved by Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments. These values appear in the .vmx file associated with a VMware guest virtual machine. VMware ESXi and Virtual Center create and maintain this file. Because VMware requires unique values for some attributes, VMware occasionally assigns a new value when a value already exists. Other known exceptions are identified in the Special Behavior column. If a configuration attribute is not supported by Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments, it is left blank or contains the VMware default value after the guest virtual machine is restored. In many cases, when a default value is set, VMware does not write that attribute name to the .vmx file.

Table Notes:

An "X" value in an attribute name represents a possible numerical value. For example, ethernetX.addressType might appear in the .vmx file as ethernet0.addressType.

An attribute listed in a shaded row is also preserved in Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments Version 6.3. For example:

config.version

YES

YES

VMware .vmx file attribute name

VMware ESX and ESXi 4.1

VMware ESXi 5

Special Behavior

annotation

LIMITED

LIMITED

This attribute represents the value of the "Notes" field in the VMware Virtual Center Console Attributes window. Tivoli Storage Manager will preserve the value of the "Notes" field but does not support Virtual Center Custom Attributes at this time.

bios.bootDelay

YES

YES

bios.bootOrder

NO

YES

bios.bootRetry.enabled

YES

YES

bios.forceSetupOnce

YES

YES

chipset.onlineStandby

YES

YES

cpuid.coresPerSocket

NO

YES

config.version

YES

YES

cpuid.X.eax

YES

YES

cpuid.X.eax.amd

YES

YES

cpuid.X.ebx

YES

YES

cpuid.X.ebx.amd

YES

YES

cpuid.X.ecx

YES

YES

cpuid.X.ecx.amd

YES

YES

cpuid.X.edx

YES

YES

cpuid.X.edx.amd

YES

YES

deploymentPlatform

YES

YES

disable_acceleration

YES

YES

disk.EnableUUID

YES

YES

DisplayName

YES

YES

ehci.present

YES

YES

ethernetX.address

YES

YES

VMware requires this value be unique. If it is not already in use, it is restored. Otherwise, VMware will assign a new value.

ethernetX.addressType

YES

YES

ethernetX.generatedAddress

YES

YES

VMware requires this value be unique. If it is not already in use, it is restored. Otherwise, VMware will assign a new value.

ethernetX.networkName

YES

YES

ethernetX.pciSlotNumber

YES

YES

ethernetX.present

YES

YES

ethernetX.startConnected

YES

YES

ethernetX.virtualDev

YES

YES

evcCompatibilityMode

YES

YES

Firmware

NO

YES

This is only set if the guest VM is configured to use EFI. Otherwise the default value is BIOS and it is not set in the ,vmx file.

floppy0.startConnected

YES

YES

floppyX.clientDevice

YES

YES

If the client device is a Virtual Floppy backed by an .iso disk image, this value is not preserved. VMware does not allow a guest to be created with this setting.

floppyX.fileName

YES

YES

If the client device is a Virtual Floppy backed by an .iso disk image, this value is not preserved. VMware does not allow a guest to be created with this setting.

floppyX.present

YES

YES

If the client device is a Virtual Floppy backed by an .iso disk image, this value is not preserved. VMware does not allow a guest to be created with this setting.

guestCPUID.0

YES

YES

guestCPUID.1

YES

YES

guestCPUID.80000001

YES

YES

guestOS

YES

YES

hostCPUID.0

YES

YES

hostCPUID.1

YES

YES

hostCPUID.80000001

YES

YES

hpet0.present

YES

YES

ideX:X.clientDevice

YES

YES

If the client device is a Virtual CD-ROM backed by an .iso disk image, this value is not be preserved. This is because VMware does not allow a guest to be created with this setting.

ideX:X.deviceType

YES

YES

If the client device is a Virtual CD-ROM backed by an .iso disk image, this value is not be preserved. This is because VMware does not allow a guest to be created with this setting.

ideX:X.present

YES

YES

If the client device is a Virtual CD-ROM backed by an .iso disk image, this value is not be preserved. This is because VMware does not allow a guest to be created with this setting.

logging

YES

YES

mem.hotadd

YES

YES

memsize

YES

YES

migrate.hostLogState

YES

YES

migrate.migrationId

YES

YES

monitor.virtual_mmu

YES

YES

monitor.virtual_exec

YES

YES

numvcpus

YES

YES

nvram

YES

YES

pciBridgeX.pciSlotNumber

YES

YES

pciBridgeX.present

YES

YES

pciBridgeX.functions

YES

YES

pciBridgeX.virtualDev

YES

YES

powerType.powerOff

YES

YES

powerType.powerOn

YES

YES

powerType.suspend

YES

YES

powerType.reset

YES

YES

replay.filename

YES

YES

replay.supported

YES

YES

sched.cpu.affinity

YES

YES

sched.cpu.htsharing

YES

YES

sched.cpu.max

YES

YES

sched.cpu.min

YES

YES

sched.cpu.shares

YES

YES

sched.cpu.units

YES

YES

sched.mem.affinity

YES

YES

sched.mem.max

YES

YES

sched.mem.min

YES

YES

sched.mem.pin

NO

YES

sched.mem.shares

YES

YES

sched.scsi0:0.shares

YES

YES

This attribute can be restored directly to an ESXi host only if it is not managed by a Virtual Center. If an ESXi host reports that it is managed by a Virtual Center, a warning message displays and this attribute is not restored.

sched.scsiX:X.throughputCap

YES

YES

sched.swap.derivedName

YES

YES

sched.swap.hostLoca

YES

YES

scsiX:X.deviceType

YES

YES

scsiX:X.fileName

YES

YES

scsiX:X.present

YES

YES

scsiX:X.redo

YES

YES

scsiX.pciSlotNumber

YES

YES

scsiX.present

YES

YES

scsiX.sharedBus

YES

YES

scsiX.virtualDev

YES

YES

snapshot.action

YES

YES

standbyAction

YES

YES

svga.vramSize

YES

YES

tools.remindInstall

YES

YES

tools.deployPkg.fileName

YES

YES

tools.guest.desktop.autolock

NO

YES

tools.syncTime

YES

YES

tools.upgrade.policy

YES

YES

toolScripts.afterPowerOn

YES

YES

toolScripts.afterResume

YES

YES

toolScripts.beforeSuspend

YES

YES

toolScripts.beforePowerOff

YES

YES

unity.customColor

YES

YES

unity.wasCapable

YES

YES

usb.present

YES

YES

usb_xhci.present

NO

YES

userCPUID.0

YES

YES

userCPUID.1

YES

YES

userCPUID.80000001

YES

YES

uuid.bios

YES

YES

VMware requires this value be unique. If it is not already in use, it is restored. Otherwise, VMware will assign a new value.

vc.uuid

YES

YES

VMware requires this value be unique. If it is not already in use, it is restored. Otherwise, VMware will assign a new value.

vcpu.hotadd

YES

YES

vcpu.hotremove

YES

YES

virtualHW.productCompatibility

YES

YES

vmci0.pciSlotNumber

YES

YES

vmci0.present

YES

YES

vmotion.checkpointFBSize

YES

YES

vmware.tools.installstate

YES

YES

vmware.tools.internalversion

YES

YES

vmware.tools.lastInstallStatus

YES

YES

vmware.tools.requiredversion

YES

YES

vmx.buildType

YES

YES

wwn.enabled

NO

NO

wwn.type

NO

NO

wwn.node

NO

NO

wwn.port

NO

NO

Answer

VMware does not currently document the following .vmx file information:

The contents of the .vmx file.

The relationship between a virtual machine configuration attribute and an entry in the .vmx file.